Sunday, January 28, 2007

The Master Works 003

Heaven
2002
Tom Tykwer, Director
Krzysztof Kieslowski & Krzysztof Piesiewicz, Screenplay

The interrogation scene. Philippa (Cate Blanchett) has just learned she victimized others than she intended. The cold and determined woman introduced in the film's opening scenes crumbles. In the limbo of her uncertainty, she turns to Filippo (Giovanni Ribisi), the young carabinieri that has just moments before offered to interpret her testimony.
The scenes leading up to this moment use screen direction and motion to direct our eyes and carry characters upward to heaven, downward to hell, to the political left and right and, in the case of Filippo, smack dab in the middle. Philippa's turn to Filippo begins to restore her humanity. She was resolute in her descent until learning she had failed to eliminate her intended target. She links herself to the man in the middle and rises from hell to limbo.
Blanchett handles this moment expertly. It's in her body - every given circumstance explicated in the scene resides within her.
Ribisi is equally brilliant. He does his work with his eyes - they watch closely, the subtext and his inner life happening behind them.
In the final moments of the scene, Phillipa collapses. As she fades into her faint, Filippo watches and calmly alerts the prosecutor. When Philippa falls, Filippo immediately moves to help her but restrains himself and remains in his chair. It is quite apparent it is the last time he will sit dutifully still.

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